Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Immigrant men ‘s perceptions and experiences of accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling provided by midwives in Sweden- a qualitative study

Kolak, Mia LU orcid ; Agardh, Anette LU orcid ; Rubertsson, Christine LU ; Hansson, Stefan R. LU orcid and Ekstrand Ragnar, Maria LU (2024) In PLoS ONE 19(1).
Abstract
Background
Male involvement in maternal health care has proven to be beneficial for improving maternal and child health and is often crucial in areas of family planning and contraceptive use. However, compared to male involvement in maternal health care, male involvement in contraceptive counselling is complex and controversial and thus faces certain challenges. Immigrant men in Sweden are often accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling. Little is known about their presence and role.
Aim
To explore how immigrant men from the Middle East and Afghanistan perceive and experience accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling provided by midwives in Sweden.
Methods
Inductive qualitative content... (More)
Background
Male involvement in maternal health care has proven to be beneficial for improving maternal and child health and is often crucial in areas of family planning and contraceptive use. However, compared to male involvement in maternal health care, male involvement in contraceptive counselling is complex and controversial and thus faces certain challenges. Immigrant men in Sweden are often accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling. Little is known about their presence and role.
Aim
To explore how immigrant men from the Middle East and Afghanistan perceive and experience accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling provided by midwives in Sweden.
Methods
Inductive qualitative content analysis guided the interpretation of data based on 21 individual in-depth interviews.
Findings
Balancing conflicting values and norms about sexual and reproductive health and rights including family planning was challenging and confusing when living in Sweden. Contraceptive counselling was perceived as a joint visit, and men were often acting as decision makers. The midwife’s role as a contraceptive counsellor was perceived as trusted, but knowledge was lacking about the Swedish midwifery model and the Swedish healthcare system. Providers’ ways of communicating sensitive information were crucial. Without marriage contraceptive counselling was unthinkable.
Conclusion
Highlighting male engagement and including men’s sexual and reproductive health at policy levels are necessary for improving women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Additional and new ways of contraceptive counselling and midwifery services, such as outreach work and joint visits, are needed in order to reach both men and women.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
PLoS ONE
volume
19
issue
1
article number
e0295796
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:38165872
  • scopus:85181516343
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0295796
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c9cdff83-9043-40fe-94bf-f44f08c8a85d
date added to LUP
2024-01-11 12:33:17
date last changed
2024-02-06 11:56:25
@article{c9cdff83-9043-40fe-94bf-f44f08c8a85d,
  abstract     = {{Background<br/>Male involvement in maternal health care has proven to be beneficial for improving maternal and child health and is often crucial in areas of family planning and contraceptive use. However, compared to male involvement in maternal health care, male involvement in contraceptive counselling is complex and controversial and thus faces certain challenges. Immigrant men in Sweden are often accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling. Little is known about their presence and role.<br/>Aim<br/>To explore how immigrant men from the Middle East and Afghanistan perceive and experience accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling provided by midwives in Sweden.<br/>Methods<br/>Inductive qualitative content analysis guided the interpretation of data based on 21 individual in-depth interviews.<br/>Findings<br/>Balancing conflicting values and norms about sexual and reproductive health and rights including family planning was challenging and confusing when living in Sweden. Contraceptive counselling was perceived as a joint visit, and men were often acting as decision makers. The midwife’s role as a contraceptive counsellor was perceived as trusted, but knowledge was lacking about the Swedish midwifery model and the Swedish healthcare system. Providers’ ways of communicating sensitive information were crucial. Without marriage contraceptive counselling was unthinkable.<br/>Conclusion<br/>Highlighting male engagement and including men’s sexual and reproductive health at policy levels are necessary for improving women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Additional and new ways of contraceptive counselling and midwifery services, such as outreach work and joint visits, are needed in order to reach both men and women.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Kolak, Mia and Agardh, Anette and Rubertsson, Christine and Hansson, Stefan R. and Ekstrand Ragnar, Maria}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Immigrant men ‘s perceptions and experiences of accompanying their partner for contraceptive counselling provided by midwives in Sweden- a qualitative study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295796}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0295796}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}